By this Author: Sanghita

copied from the site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7306111.stm

20.03.2008

Nepal action on Tibet 'excessive'

Recent days have seen protests by monks in Kathmandu US-based pressure group Human Rights Watch has condemned Nepal's government for using what it calls excessive force against protesting Tibetan exiles. The Nepalese government has said in response that it has no choice but to prevent what it calls anti-Chinese protests in the capital, Kathmandu.

The protestors have regularly held rallies against Chinese rule in Tibet.

Police have often beaten them with batons, and sometimes used tear gas or inflicted head wounds, the group says.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement that one man was beaten so hard that both his feet were fractured.

The group also alleged that at least one monk was threatened with deportation to China if he took part in further protests.

'One-China policy'

It called on the government to stop the use of force and mass arrests.

"How can a government that came to power on a wave of public protests against an authoritarian regime, justify crushing peaceful protests by Tibetans?" the group asked.

Nepal's interior ministry spokesman, Mod Raj Dhotel, said the police had been told not to violate human rights.

He said Nepal could not allow any anti-Chinese demonstrations because the government follows a "one China" policy.

"We are bounded by our limitations," Mr Dhotel said.

Last week the police admitted to the BBC that they regularly received requests from the Chinese authorities not to allow such demonstrations.

BBC correspondents have also witnessed angry scuffles between Tibetan demonstrators and local Nepalese people.

Tibetan refugees living in Kathmandu have held rallies against Chinese rule in Tibet, mainly at a large Buddhist shrine or outside the United Nations country office, on at least six of the past 10 days.

08:30 wake up!Niraj called us in the room, we went together to New Orleans for breakfast.It is okay to use our room until 17:00!After breakfast we spread out all our things on the bed and then the packing stared.About half an hour later everything was in our bags!

It is a beautiful sunny warm day, so we set ourselves in the barden.Around 5:0 for the last time t the internet and then having lunch at Pilgrims, also in a nice garden.

17:30 time to say see you soon.With the taxi to the airport, where we did not need to open our bags. Thanks for that!Paying 1.700 Rupees airport tax and on our way to the check in.

The plane was completely packed, Renske and I could not sit next to each other. That was not such a problem, because both of us slept almost all the way to Bahrain.At Bahrain airport we had to wait almost an hour before a minibus took us to a hotel.Here it was absolutely not ladies first, after everybody else had their key it was finally our turn.The bellboy was smiling big: you had to wait because now you will have the best room.

And we did! It was a complete apartment! Even bigger than Renske's and/or my house.A giant livingroom, kitchen, 2 bathrooms!, 2 huge bedrooms.We went to sleep straight away, it was already almost 02:00 and at 7:00 they told us they would bring breakfast.

SATURDAY 15TH OF MARCH 2008

07:00: doorbell: breakfast. Well breakfast: a sloppy toast and french fries!! in a MacDonald box and a can of juice.Outside the hotel we waited again for about an hour before the minibus came to pick up us.

We almost had to run to be on time for the checkin. This time the plane was not full. I had seat 24, Renske seat 42, but when we were airborn, I could go to the back and sit next to Renske.Again we slept a lot.14:00 we landed in Athens. Waiting for the luggage and then a taxi to Zoe's house.I gave the taxidriver Zoe's address (even on paper), but still he managed to go completely wrong. He DID stop at Pericleous 20, but we did not recognize the street at all.Checking his GPS he found out that there was another street with the same name and after 20 minutes we were at the right address. Luckely he did not charge us for the last piece of the drive.

It was nice to see Zoe, Andreas and Argyro again. We had something to eat, watching the photographs and then we laid down on the sofa, we needed some sleep.At 03:00 in the morning Renske's taxi was there and it was time to split up.I will miss her very much, we had a great time together for those 5 weeks. No problems, no arguments.Maybe the only problem was our giggle-attacks which were sometimes embarrassing for the people around us.

I went back to sleep and around 10:00 I had a coffee in the garden together with Andreas.My taxi did not show up, so Zoe and I walked to the mainstreet, where I stopped a taxi.

Checkin went okay. I DID had too much luggage: 6 kg overweight. But, expecting this already, I had put a nice tika on my forehead and I said to the man of the checkin that I had been a volunteer in Nepal.He let me of the hook, with only paying 6 euro!! Thank you.

At 15:00 I landed on Heraklion. Beautiful weather and Marian was waiting for me.

It is a wonderful place to come home to, but it will take time before I am 'back in the system' again.My body is in Elounda, part of my spirit, soul, heart is still in Nepal.Next week I start working, so that will help to get adjusted again, I have a job on the computer to make extra money for Nepal to go back.

Thanks everybody for the support you have given us.

I will keep putting more info on this travelblog for a while, like newsfragments about the situation in Nepal.

Greetings fromGurash and Sanghita

I know we promissed you to also insert pictures, but this was many times impossible in Nepal.Now I will download some pictures of our travel and you can watch them, by going to the photogallery.

10:00 at H.E. for our tour.First a ginger lemontea on assisting from Niraj that we had to have one before leaving on the tour.He came to sit with us for a while, we gave him our addresses in case he wants to come over to Europe.

With Kiroj an Nung, the driver, on our way to the Tibetan Monastery, Kopan Monastery.A huge, big beautiful decorated monastery. In front of the temple they created a garden in which in miniature the life of Buddha was displayed.Looking around fro this hill, we saw so many golden roofs: monasteries and nunneries of Tibetans.

Kiroj: increase of beghars from India, increase of Tibetan monks and nuns; where are we going to be?Many Nepali cal already the Kathmandu Valley : "Little Tibet".Are we soon going to see banners: Free Nepal? (Kiroj)

Up to Boudnath, the second biggest stupa of the world. The base of the stupa is as big as a footballfield. It is completely solid.While we where walking around it, people were busy putting up new praying flags.Sitting at a rooftop terrace it became even more obvious how many Tibetan buildings were around us.

Kiroj: There are over 200 monasteries/nunneries around the Boudnath. Studying Budhism he knew a lot about this. At one point he commented: we have enough sacred places, we don't need to build more temples, we need to work from/with/on our hearts. (Kiroj)

Around 14:00 we were back. We sat down in the sunny garden to..........yes, photo album.

Niraj popped in to have a quick coffee.We went to Northfield for another tasty Fajitas, coffee at the guesthouse and time to go to our room again.

Hopefully we don't need to leave our rom at 12:00, so we can take our time for packing. Around 17:30 the taxi will take us tomorrow to the airport.

Again Renske had a bad night, she had to call me several tims before I landed back to earth.Breakfast at the bakery and now sitting in the garden of Kathmandu Guesthouse. Toni (boss of Himalayan Encounters) is coming over for a coffee, Renske is going to the garden inside to work on her scrabbook.

Toni showed up aroun 13:00, completely forgot. Was no problm, I sat in the garden updating the travelblog. We made a new appointment for 17:30.

It is very warm in Kathmandu.Lunch at Kathmandu Guesthouse. Sitting on the roofterrace in the sun again, trying to finish the photo-albums.

At 17:30 I went down to H.E. office to drag Toni away.We went for a coffee to a new place. Excellent espresso, thebar could have been anywhere in the world, looked misplaced in Thamel, Kathmandu.For about an hour and a half we talked about so man things. I had really a good time.

I know I am just one of the many volunteers coming here, but every one at H.E. makes me AND Renske feel special. Also Niraj is great an good fun.

We went to Northfield for a fried rice, but it did not taste half a s good as the one we had yesterday.After diner a coffee and a Brandy at Kathmandu Guesthouse and around 21:00 we were back in our room.Some glueing of pictures and then lights out!

Renske woke me up around 8.30. Breakfast at the bakery on the other side of the street hurrying back to the toilet.Don’t think I have put on any weight: one in, one out it has been all the time.

11:00: beauty time.First a massage for an hour. When she started on my shoulders I jumped to the ceiling, but by the time she was done I felt great, lazy. I could have slept 24 hours non-stop, too relaxed.A facial to scrub all the dirt of our faces, ending up with a baby soft skin. Manicure and end of treatment.A great, clean, relaxed feeling.

A walk to Durbar Square, on the way scoring some more souvenirs.Slowly walking back to Thamel: no, no. no riksja, no baksheesh, no hasjies, no nothing, thank you.

Sitting in the garden of the Kathmandu Guesthouse. At 18.30 our pictures were supposed to be ready, but actually at 20:00 they were.They are fantastic!Suk made excellent pictures of us bathing the elephant and Renske captured the rhinos brilliantly. Also the pictures of the elephant breeding center our awesome, you can see the 2 weeks old baby elephant jumping around.

A tasty fried rice for me, Chow Mei for Renske at the Guesthouse, a coffee and up to our room, watching the pictures over and over again, a bit of reading and me sound to sleep.